Gate.



R. T; VAN VALK'ENBURG.

GATE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 8, 1912.

Patented June 4, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA ILANOGRAPH CO..WASHINI1TON. D. C.

R. T. VAN VALKENBURG.

' GATE.

APPLIUA'TION FILED JAN. 3, 1912.

Patented June 4, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FEEL

mun V 2 a awwz/wto z COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH ccn,WASHINGTONv D. c.

RANDALL T. VAN VALKENBURG, OF" GENEVA, NEW YORK.

GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1912.

Application filed January 8, 1912. Serial No. 670,056.

' invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to fences, and more particularly to the gatesthereof; and the object of the same is to produce a sliding' gatecapable of being moved by hand to open and close the gateway and alsocapable of being turned by hand so as to be set at right angles to theline of fencing through which the gateway is open.

A further object is to produce a gate of this character which may beimmediately removed. from its hanger and reinstated thereon at a higheror lower level, and one in which small animals pushing under or throughthe gate cannot lift it off its hanger.

These and other objects are carried out by the construction hereinaftermore fully described and claimed, and as shown in the drawings whereinFigure 1 is a side elevation of this gate with its front wheel restingon the ground. Fig. 2 is a similar elevation of the gate set to a littlehigher position so that it may be swung over snow or other obstructionor so that small animals may pass under thegate -as is sometimesdesired. Fig. 3 is anenlarged vertical section through the gate on theline 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. lis ahorizontal section on the line 44 of Fig.2. Fig. 5 is a plan view showing diagrammatically how this gate may beset in a line of fencing extending at right angles to a roadway, and howit can be moved to either of two positions. Fig. 6 is an enlargedelevationof the caster wheel and a section through the shank of the pinwhich supports it, and Fig. 7 is a horizontal section through this wheeland the post into which the support is driven. Fig. 8 is a sideelevation of one ofthe mem bers of said caster wheel, looking from theinside; and Figs. 9 and 10 are plan views ofthe bolt or pin taken fromtwo diflerent positions. v V

In the drawings the letter G designates a gate mounted upon a main orhinge post P and having its front or outer end adapted" to engage thelatch post which is here shown asdouble as at D, both of these postsforming part of a line of fencing F which extends across a roadway R atright angles to another line of fencing extending alongside the roadwayas at S.

In Fig. 5' the arrangement is shown diagrammatically so that the sidefencing S leaves openings A and B into the roadway, either of which maybe closed, or both of them closed by my improved gate. The specificconstruction of the latter is not essential, except that I prefer tomake it of slats 1 of a proper length to span the opening in the fence Fbetween its posts P and D, and these slats are connected near theirextremities by metal uprights which are of U-shape, V-shape, orpreferably vT-shape,

and may be rolled or cast although they are preferably galvanized orotherwise treated to prevent rust. In a gate of about the proportionsshown, therev will be four of these castings or uprights extendingacross the several slats of the gate from top to bottom, and each willcomprise a straight upper portion 2, a straight lower portion 3, andseveral interposed loops or bends 4 which are offset from the line ofthe upper and lower end portions and connected by interposed feet 5 sodisposed as to make contact with the intermediate slats as seen in Fig.3. The end portions and the feet are provided with lateral ears 6 in theembodiment illustrated in the drawings, and through these ears orthrough the bodies of the uprights themselves may pass screws, bolts, orother fastening means 7 for holding the parts-together, The endmostupright, secured across the slats toward what will be the outer 'end ofthe gate, differs from those described only in that its lower portion 3isextended as at 3 below the lowermost slat 1 and formed on the flatface below the slats with a stud 10. Behind" said lowermost slatabracket 11 issecured is by preference made in two members as best seenin Figs. 7 and 8, Each member comprises an L-shaped rim 15, spokes 16leading inward therefrom to a hub 17, and a hemispherical socket 18formed in said hub and pierced with an axial hole 19; and the membersare connected by bolts or screws 20 as shown. The support for thiscaster wheel is a pin preferably having an annular shank 22 with aglobular head 23 adjacent which the shank is reduced into a narrow neckas at 24; and this pin is driven obliquely into the post P as best seenin Fig. 4, the halves or members of the caster wheel embracing itsglobular head as seen in Fig. 7 so that said wheel maybe set into eitherof two planes at right angles to each other for a purpose to appearbelow. The slats 1 of the gate G may be of any suitable material, butare by preference of wood although they must be disposed at suchdistance apart opposite the loops 4L of the upright that the feet 5thereof may be secured thereto as seen in Fig. 3 and the flanges of thecaster wheel shall engage the adjacent edges of contiguous slats asillustrated in dotted lines.

Otherwise than as herein described the builder of this fence and gatewill be at liberty to exercise his judgment as to details which form nopart of the present invention.

The latch of this improved gate may be of any character selected and ofcourse forms no part of the present invention. I have, however, shownwhat will be the latch post D as made double, and the two membersthereof connected by two bolts 25, each pref- *erably carrying a loosecollar 26 between the members of the post, and the bolts spaced apart aproper distance to receive the outer end or tip of two of the slats 1. Iuse two bolts, although one is all that is abso- 'lutely necessary andthree might be employed, and the use of the collars 26 is optional. Ifthe nut-s on the bolts are tightened up these collars will be clampedbetween the members of the post so that they will not rotate on thebolt; if the nuts be left loose these collars will rotate slightlythereon as the tips of the slats are pushed over them. This illustrationand description is only typical of one form of latch which may beemployed at this point.

The use of this improved gate may well be described in connection withthe diagrammatic view in Fig. 5. The pin having been driven obliquelyinto the corner of the'post P as shown, and the caster wheel 14: mountedon its globular head 23, the gate G is brought into'position and theextremities of two of its slats 1 at their left ends are passed over andunder the caster wheel so that the latter moves behind one of the loopsor bends the left to allow its outer or front end' to pass around thepost D, after which it is moved into alinement with the opening thereinand to the right to engage the tips of two of its slats with the collars26 on the bolts 25. If v the space between the second and third slatsfrom the top has been selected for the caster wheel,-as shown in Fig. 1,the gate when closed will stand as there illustrated and the rollerbeneath its outer corner will'rest on the ground. If the opening betweenthe third and fourth slats is employed, however, as seen in Fig. 2 theright hand ends or extremities of these slats will rest on the collars26 at this time and the roller 13 will not rest upon the ground. Theformer position of parts is that usually employedthe latter thatemployed where a deep snow covers the road and the gate must swing overit or when it is desired to allow small animals to pass beneath thegate. In either event, when the gateway through the fence line F is tobe opened so that the roadway R shall be no longer obstructed,theoperator raises the right end of the gate slightly and moves itbodily to the left to the position seen in dot and dash lines in Fig. 5.The

gate is raised only because it is to be cleared tor must either supportthe free end or pera mit the roller 13 to travel on'the ground until thecenter of the gate comes over the caster wheel. In moving the gatestraight back to the rear beyond a point where it is practicallybalanced over the caster wheel, it will be necessary for the operator todepress the front end of the gate to cotmterbalance the surplus weightat the rear end thereof. After the team has passed through the gateopening along the roadway R, the gate is restored to the position shownin full lines. This improved gate possesses the additional advantageousfunction that it may be moved back to its balanced position and thenturned aside as shown in dotted lines in Fig.

cover the opening A, the operator has but' to move the gate fartherdownward in the view shown, or to uncover the opening 13 he has but tomove the gate farther upwardin either case the caster wheel supportingthe weight of the gate at about its midlength and the roller 13supporting it at one extremity and with its lowermost slat at a suitabledistance above the ground so that the smallest animals cannot passtherethrough. If the gate is to be adjusted higher as shown in Fig. 2,it would be necessary that the side line of fencing S carry some suchlatch post as that shown at D and described in the above specification.But the particular feature of improvement which this gate possesses isthe upright with its peculiar bends, the whole serving to brace theslats of the gate and one of the uprights being extended at its lowerend so as to form a support for the roller 13. The fact that all of theuprights contain the bends 4 permits the gate to be moved off the casterwheel at either end and instantly restored at a higher or lowerposition, and this can be done whether the gate stands in line acrossthe roadway R as shown or at right angles to such position. Theparticular structure of the caster wheel 14 is also important in thisconnection, for it may be lubricated easily, repaired whenevernecessary, replaced when worn, and adjusted if the post P should sag orsettle; and it is of course necessary that it have flanges and that insize it be such that these flanges will pass alongside opposite faces oftwo adjacent slats as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

WVhat is claimed as new is:

1. A gate comprising horizontal slats certain of which are spaced anequal distance apart, and uprights of angle-iron secured across saidslats and each having outbent loops opposite the spaces between saidspaced slats and feet secured to them; combined with a pivot post, acaster wheel supported thereby and of a diameter to fit loosely betweenthe spaced slats, flanges thereon overlapping said slats, a latch postmade in two spaced members, a plurality of bolts connecting saidmembers, and collars mounted on the bolts between the members andadapted to sustain the tips of two of said spaced slats.

2. A gate comprising horizontal slats certain of which are spaced anequal distance apart, uprights of angle-iron secured across said slatsand each having outbent loops opposite the spaces between said spacedslats and feet secured to tl1em,the lower end of the outermost uprightbeing continued below the lowermost slat and provided with a studprojecting beneath it, a bracket secured to the opposite face of saidslat and depending therefrom and provided with a stud projecting towardsaid other stud, and a roller journaled on said studs; combined with apivot post, a caster wheel supported thereby and of a diameter to fitloosely between the spaced slats, a latch post, and means therein forsustaining the tips of two of said spaced slats when said roller islifted off the ground.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses. I

RANDALL 'l. VAN VALKENBURG.

Witnesses:

N. L. COLLAMER, S. C. HILL.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. C.

